Comparison

Moon Lunation vs Mooncaster

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Moon Lunation

This app provides detailed lunar phase information for any date between 2000 and 2050. It calculates phases offline using precise astronomical geometry, displaying illuminated percentages and event times. Users can explore monthly calendars, visualize entire lunations, and view a 3D model of the Moon's surface.

Highlights
  • Offline moon phase computation
  • Date range 2000-2050
  • Illuminated percentage display
  • Lunar age and event times
  • Monthly calendar view
  • Lunation cycle visualization
  • 3D Moon surface model
Features
Read full description

Moon Lunation shows you the Moon's phase for any date between 2000 and 2050, and now the tides it drives, all computed on your device from the actual geometry of the Sun, Earth and Moon. Moon Lunation is free. No connection. No account. No data collected. No ads, ever. TODAY The current phase, the illuminated percentage, how far through the lunation you are, and the next principal event in your local time. CALENDAR Any month from 2000 to 2050, with new moons, first quarters, full moons and last quarters marked on the local dates they occur. CYCLE Watch a lunation play out from one new moon to the next. The timeline runs between two actual computed new moons, so its length varies rather than being forced to 29.5 days. Scrub it with your finger, or play it through. TIDES, WITH MOON LUNATION PRO See today's tide curve set against the highest high and lowest low of the station's year, marked by two dashed lines, with a line of text giving each with its date. Also the next high and low tide and seven days of highs and lows, in metres or feet. Predictions are calculated on your device from each station's tidal constants, so Tides works with no connection. Tides covers about 1,250 stations around the United States and 37 around the UK and the Isle of Man, from 2026 to 2030. On iPhone and iPad it can find the nearest station from your location, or you can choose a city. On Mac, you choose a city. Keep up to five favourite places. These are astronomical predictions. Weather can change the real water level, and they are not for navigation. SOLAR SYSTEM, WITH MOON LUNATION PRO See the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, the Moon and Mars in 3D, placed by the same offline astronomy. On Mac, all eight planets, out to Neptune. Drag to orbit, pinch or scroll to zoom, tap a body for its distances, and scrub the timeline to watch the planets move. Moon Lunation Pro is a one-time in-app purchase, not a subscription, and unlocks both Tides and the Solar System. If you already have Pro, or paid for Lunation or Moon Lunation before it became free, Tides is included at no extra cost. Family Sharing is on. ON MAC A native Mac app with a sidebar and inspector, keyboard control, a menu-bar Moon and desktop widgets. THE MOON ITSELF The surface is built from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imagery, in a fixed north-up view of the near side. The lit region is drawn from the computed phase, so what you see is the geometry. The light now falls off toward the terminator, the edge between light and dark is soft, and the unlit side shows a faint earthshine, strongest near new moon. WHAT IT DOESN'T DO • Phases cover 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2050, and tides cover 2026 to 2030. Outside them, the app says so rather than guessing. • It is a north-up diagram of the phase, not a picture of how the Moon looks in your sky tonight. • It does not show libration, eclipses, moonrise or moonset. • Phase times are geocentric, not for your location. PRIVACY Moon Lunation collects no data: no analytics, no crash reporting, no advertising, no tracking and no account. The app makes no network requests of its own. Phases, the calendar and the cycle never use your location. On iPhone and iPad, only after you allow it, Tides uses it to find the nearest tide station; the app does not save or send it. It keeps a small count of days used, on the device, to decide when to ask the system for a review. Tides remembers your place setting and up to five favourite stations, and Clear Saved Places removes them. On Mac, Tides does not use your location. It works in Airplane Mode, on the first launch and every launch after. iPhone, iPad and Mac. Requires iOS 17, iPadOS 17, or macOS 14 or later. Lunar imagery courtesy of NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio. Tide predictions use NOAA data and Environment Agency tide gauge data (Open Government Licence v3.0). City names from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). None of these organisations endorses this app.

About

Mooncaster

This app predicts promising moonrises by combining lunar data with local weather forecasts. It helps users find the best viewing times and locations, offering scores for astronomical and weather conditions. Plan your perfect moonlit experience with detailed alerts and interactive maps.

Highlights
  • Predicts promising moonrises
  • Combines lunar geometry with weather forecasts
  • Provides Astronomy, Weather, and Moonrise Scores
  • Offers interactive direction maps
  • Delivers custom and automatic alerts
  • Includes Home Screen Widgets
Features
Read full description

Know when a moonrise is truly worth heading outside for. Mooncaster goes beyond moonrise times. It combines precise lunar geometry with local Apple Weather forecasts to show how promising the view may be, when to be ready, and where to look. Whether you’re planning a photograph, choosing a viewpoint, or simply hoping to catch a beautiful Moon near the horizon, Mooncaster turns complex astronomy and weather data into a clear plan. FIND THE BEST MOONRISES • Browse a curated list of astronomically promising moonrises • See every upcoming visible moonrise or build your own custom view • Filter by illumination, cloud cover, visibility, and timing near sunset •View today's moonrise or moonset in a Home Screen Widget. PLAN WITH SCORES YOU CAN UNDERSTAND • Astronomy Score rates illumination, timing, and the Moon’s near-horizon climb • Weather Score considers cloud cover and visibility during the viewing window • Moonrise Score brings astronomy and weather together in one 0–100 rating • Forecast confidence—High, Medium, Low, or Pending—shows how much trust to place in the current outlook KNOW WHEN AND WHERE TO LOOK • View moonrise and moonset times, phase, illumination, direction, and compass bearing • See how quickly the Moon climbs and follow its arc across the sky • Use an interactive direction map to fine-tune your viewing position STAY AHEAD OF CHANGING WEATHER • Check conditions focused on the moonrise viewing window—not just a generic daily forecast • Review cloud cover, visibility, and recent forecast trends • Refresh on demand; Mooncaster also updates weather and alerts in the background when iOS allows GET THE RIGHT ALERT AT THE RIGHT TIME Auto Mode watches your Best Moonrises and schedules alerts only when an astronomically promising event receives a favorable, reliable forecast. You can also set manual alerts for any moonrise you choose. Pick from the morning of the event, 6 hours, 1 hour, 30 minutes, 15 minutes before, or right at moonrise. EXPLORE MORE WITH MOONRISE PRO Mooncaster includes a complimentary seven-day preview of every feature. The preview does not automatically start a subscription, and a limited one-location view remains available afterward. Moonrise Pro unlocks: • Unlimited saved locations • Complete 45-day lunar outlooks, with weather added as forecast data becomes available • Full upcoming moonrise lists and detailed forecasts • Interactive direction maps • Automatic and custom scheduled alerts Choose monthly or annual access, or make a one-time lifetime purchase. Monthly and annual subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Forecasts and scores are planning aids, not guarantees. Terrain, buildings, haze, and other local obstructions may affect what you see. Weather data is provided by Apple Weather. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.catspaw-systems.com/PrivacyPolicies/MooncasterPrivacy.html

Screenshots

Moon Lunation4 screens
Mooncaster4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mooncaster at 100% against Moon Lunation's 6%. Mooncaster also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks) and monetization model (freemium vs paid). Moon Lunation's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Moon Lunation sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Mooncaster sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Moon Lunation ships an update every 3 weeks, Mooncaster every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Moon Lunation versus Mooncaster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMoon LunationMooncaster
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews5.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTraLand.comCatspaw Systems LLC

Customer experience

Moon Lunation

Written reviews35 reviews
Positive5.7%
Neutral5.7%
Negative88.6%

Mooncaster

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Moon Lunation

One-time1
  • Moon Lunation Pro$1.99
3 purchases

Mooncaster

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Mooncaster Subscription$0.991 Month
  • Mooncaster Annual Subscription$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Mooncaster Lifetime Access$24.99

Questions

Is Moon Lunation free?
Moon Lunation is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mooncaster free?
Mooncaster is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Moon Lunation or Mooncaster have ads?
Neither Moon Lunation nor Mooncaster shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Moon Lunation or Mooncaster?
Moon Lunation ships an update every 3 weeks, and Mooncaster every 5 days. Most recently, Moon Lunation was updated on October 17, 2026 and Mooncaster on October 16, 2026.

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